Adaptation
by Uncle.Dragon
Summary: Adaptation was supposed to be a good thing for Akihisa... but he died anyway.


_Adaptation - That was the key._

_I had to tell myself that over and over again. I tried to smile, relax those face muscles a little, but the frown and the occasional smirk stayed on, an irremovable stain caused by the war I had become involved in._

New Year - new beginnings. Sure, it's a new beginning now. Of all the days I had chosen to reflect, I had chosen a day of new beginnings. How ironic.

I tried to think back to when I first joined SOLDIER. I wanted a change. I wanted to experience something new. I thought I could handle the world.

_All just a load of crap; a load of fucking crap._

I met a few friends there, old ones like Yuuji, Hideyoshi and Mussolini, and then there are new ones like TK, Matsushita, Noda, Takamatsu and Suneo-senpai. It didn't matter too much now, with the war that killed them all.

Ah yes, the war; The war that changed my life.

At first, it was not too obvious. A few stray arrows, some misaimed Magic, some guy summoning in the city, another guy 'accidentally' casting an Explosion.

Slowly, parties of six came into varying cities, terrorizing the citizens. The crimson red of blood was splattered on the tents of the Sector 5 slums; the stench of murder filled the Midgar air. Something just _needed_ to be done.

No one really knew who the invaders were. Monsters? General Morden? AVALANCHE? All we, the protectors of our pride, knew was that they would destroy, and do so ruthlessly.

And so we fought back. We fought, hard. I saw my comrades, excellent friends; I saw them fall, one by one, into the hands of our enemies. I saw, but I was helpless. All I could do was survive, and hope against hope I would be able to avenge them someday; Someday.

The pain of losing a person who had matured with you, been through thick and thin with you, the pain is unbearable.

_The pain; the emptiness. _

It _is_true that adaptation is the key to success. In a world of war, one must be willing to let go, to leave and sever ties with your friends.

As the war continued, the Sectors of Midgar city fell, one by one. The forests of Sector 1 were no more; the plates of the Sectors reduced to a pile of rubble as they crashed; the buildings of Midgar central collapsed.

I tried to imagine how the Shinra Executives were feeling now. To watch the very city you have built fall into the hands of people who laughed in your face while they stole your hard work from you.

I thought back to my brave comrades, daring soldiers, soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for the land they believed in. They left without a last word, without a chance to fulfil their dreams of wealth, of power, of glory, of fame. They died unknown to the world, a death they did _not_deserve.

I looked at my arm to find a few drops of water on the back of my hand. Was it raining? I turned my head upwards, but despite the gloomy sky, there wasn't the slightest drizzle.

Unconsciously, my hand moved to my face, in time to wipe away a tear from my cheek. Was I crying?

I, Akihisa Yoshii, a battle-hardened SOLDIER 1st class, was so _not_crying.

Wiping my eyes dry, I looked forward, outward, to the rubble of the city Midgar had become. There was still the smoke of fires that burned for months, destroying the homes of my people. Was this all that was left of what had seen me through my life?

Right in front of me, towns and cities lost themselves to enemy hands. They were helpless; the opposition was too strong, too organized as a force. Nothing could be done.

Wait a moment. My fingers, rough from the battles, touched the hilt of my sword. There was something I could still do. As long as I am given the chance, I _shall_ fight back.

Just then, there was a shout, a war cry, far left of me. Another town was being raided. The townspeople were screaming; houses were set on fire, just as before; just as usual.

There was something I could still do for my homeland. And as long as I am given the chance, I _will_do so.

_This is for my friends, warriors and fighters of SOLDIER, my family, my land. This - is for myself._

I drew my sword, charging forward. The enemy must have been shocked. Here I was, a single person, against an army of trained soldiers.

Taking advantage of that, I cut down a few opponents, before gunshot knocked me down. The next thing I knew, a sword had broken through the chainmail I always wore, stabbing through below my heart.

Using the last reserves of my energy, I thrust my own sword forward, stabbing through the throat of the warrior in front of me. As my sight faded away, I noticed that the man I had killed was the very person who had executed my friends, right in front of me.

Content with this knowledge, my eyes closed, my face stuck in an eternal smile, a smile of one who had fulfilled his goal.


End file.
